The Hong Kong badminton team will be taking every precaution necessary when they return to the courts for two open tournament in Thailand – 10 months after they rushed back from the All England Open during the early days of the coronavirus crisis. World number eight Angus Ng Ka-long is leading the seven-member squad, who leave for Bangkok on Sunday to fulfil the quarantine requirements before the first event starts on January 12. Other members are fellow men’s singles player Lee Cheuk-yiu, women’s singles’ Cheung Ngan-yi and two mixed doubles pairs, Tang Chun-man and Tse Ying-suet and Chang Tak-ching and Ng Wing-yung. Thailand is experiencing a resurgence of Covid-19 infections, reaching a monthly high of 576 new cases on December 20 from 10 cases on December 1, with 250 cases on Wednesday. “We are monitoring the situation closely on the latest developments in Thailand but so far we are satisfied with the health measures provided by the tournament organisers,” said Sports Institute’s Raymond So Chi-hung, director of elite training science and technology. “We have also reminded the players to avoid contact with other team players as much as possible and maintain good personal hygiene.” Hong Kong Badminton Open canned in world tour revamp due to Covid-19 On Monday, China withdrew all their players from the two Thailand events, the first world circuit tournaments after Denmark in October. The Chinese expressed worries about the surge in cases in the Southeast Asian nation. The Badminton World Federation wants to wrap up the season with the two special Thailand events, both offering US$1 million in total prize money, before the US$1.5 million World Tour finals, also in Bangkok. Hong Kong head coach Tim He Yiming said all players need to submit Covid-19 test results conducted within three days of their departure. He said they would need another test upon their arrival in Bangkok before spending quarantine in a hotel. “We need only seven days of isolation but teams from other countries such as those from Europe will require a longer quarantine period,” said the coach. “We are of course concerned about the recent developments in Thailand but the organisers have promised comprehensive measures to ensure players’ safety. “They will only be allowed to travel between the hotel and the venue and there will be designated outlets for meals. During the quarantine period, there will be some training sessions arranged for the team to keep players in form.” Hong Kong fans should be praised for supporting badminton ace Lee Cheuk-yiu Hong Kong’s top player Ng said they have been given details of the safety bubble set up in Bangkok but he was more concerned about putting on a good performance after a long absence since the All England Open in March. “We have been training in a closed-camp environment at the Sports Institute for more than a month to prepare for the two events,” said Ng. “There must be some expectations but since we haven’t played for such a long time, it will be difficult to predict how well we can adjust to the competition.” If he can maintain his standard in the two events, Ng stands a great chance of reaching the third event, the world tour finals which feature the top eight players and pairs. Ng is ninth in the standings but China’s number seven Shi Yuqi will miss both Bangkok events.